


a brightblaze to light the candle

by green_piggy



Category: Tales of Crestoria, Tales of Series
Genre: Birthday, Character Study, Cooking, Found Family, Gen, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISELLA I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, i love them i love them i love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 08:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26350096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_piggy/pseuds/green_piggy
Summary: Even transgressors have birthdays.
Relationships: Vicious & Kanata Hjuger & Misella & Yuna Azetta & Aegis Alver
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41





	a brightblaze to light the candle

**Author's Note:**

> someone: misella is a bad character-  
> me, breaking down the door and slamming them over the head with this fic: SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER
> 
> i love misella!! so much!!! i love all of them!!!! so much!!!!! tales of games really do such an amazing job of giving characters an insane amount of depth even with only a small amount of writing. when i found out it was misella's birthday on 6th september i RUSHED to write this lmao. sadly it's now the 8th but every hour is misella loving hour. she's so good and wonderful you guys are just mean
> 
> (as someone who's been learning french for several years, writing yuna's dialogue killed me on the inside. i love you yuna buT WHY)
> 
> can't believe i've been into tales of games for almost a decade and i'm only writing my first fic for it now smh
> 
> hope you enjoy~ <3
> 
> **NOTE: in reference to the 'graphic depictions of violence' tag** \- i've tagged it mainly to err on the side of caution. if you want to avoid it, skip over the second paragraph that begins with "and she'd do it again without hesitation" until you get to "alas..."

It was still strange for Misella to wake up in the morning without dread pooling in her stomach and anxiety twisting her heart. Remnants of her nightmare clung to the back of her eyelashes like ash, but she'd take any number of those over the endless, monotone early mornings of waking up even before dawn. She'd wake up early to ensure that all of the orphans had enough food, mend any rips or tears in their clothing, and watch them be sent to death one-by-one, unable to do anything herself. The vision orb around her neck had burnt her chest, but it was a feeble ember compared to the destruction she'd brought to the church.

And she'd do it again without hesitation. She only wished that she had been the one to end Cody's life and not dear, sweet, innocent Kanata.

What she would give to wrap her fingers around Cody’s narrow neck and squeeze, to watch his empty, vile eyes spark with panic and terror, a fragment of how he'd made her and all of the orphans feel over those awful years.

Maybe he'd struggle. He'd wheeze and hack and cough, and all she would do was press her fingers deeper into his flesh. Her fingers, alight from the brightblaze, would make his skin sizzle and scorch and burn — and he'd _beg_ her for mercy, his tears evaporating as soon as they reached her grip, as if he hasn't laughed at all of her pleas for mercy for her, for the children, for so _so_ long. And then he'd fall limp, glassy eyes remaining open and unblinking, and all her sinful heart would feel was unending glee. The burns around his neck, in the shape of her tiny, delicate hands, would be an eternal reminder of his sins. Even in death, he would not escape what he had done.

Alas…

She blinked open her eyes and sat up in bed. There was nobody else in the room. Judging from how bright the few rays of sunlight peeking through the closed curtains were, she must have slept in quite a bit.

Just as Misella pulled herself towards the edge of the bed, towards the bedside table where the brightblaze she kept in her hair sat—

"How do you propose we make _that!?"_

It would have been impossible to not hear Aegis's screech of a voice from downstairs.

There was a clang, and then—

"Ya givin' up on it _already?"_

Her hands drew into fists on instinct. _Vicious._

Yes, she owed him her life, but his influence on Kanata was terrifying. Did he not realise that Kanata — her candle of life, his serene smile, his bashfulness and strength — was the only good thing she'd ever had in her entire life? And it was _her_ fault that he had been branded a criminal to begin with. She couldn't bear it if he changed, if he ever lost that innocence and kindness and became someone else entirely. She couldn't lose the only thing she'd ever allowed herself to have. She _couldn't._

"I-I'm not _giving up!"_ Aegis yelled. "I'm being realistic! We can't-!"

Misella had to lean in close to the floorboards to hear Vicious's next words. "Shout any louder and you'll wake 'er up. Kinda ruin it, yeah?"

"I'm… I'm not _that_ loud," came Aegis's much quieter, almost sheepish, reply.

Their conversation continued, but she couldn't make out anything else that they were saying.

She was curious, but not enough that she would go down to them this early. Nobody seemed to be in a rush to go anywhere, and it was such a tranquil and peaceful morning. The birds were singing a quiet little birdsong and she could hear the townspeople milling about, their murmurs drifting through the open window.

Perhaps people like her, with blood on her hands that she could never scrub clean, didn't deserve such things, but…

It wasn't a matter of deserving, was it? She was alive. She was _here._ That was all there was to it.

Giving the brightblaze's petals a gentle stroke, Misella climbed back into bed and pulled the blanket over herself. With sleep still clinging to her eyes, it didn't take long for her to doze off again.

The slam of a door made her snap awake. A cold sweat broke out over her entire body. She heard footsteps approach her, softer than she remembered, but all she could see was Cody walking closer with that terrifyingly empty smile. She whimpered and raised her hands over her head—

But no hand slapped her face or shoved her shoulder. When she eventually peaked out from between her fingertips, it was Yuna's frowning face that gazed back at her. Not Cody's.

She forced herself to lower her hands. The silence in the room was heavier than an orc king.

Yuna wasn't smiling. Her lips were pulled down, her eyes brimming with an emotion Misella couldn't quite name. Too warm to be pity, but too understanding to be sympathy.

"...You remind me of Penelope, quelquefois," she murmured. The bed creaked slightly as she sat down on it, careful not to touch Misella. "Around 'er mère, oui, she would often…" Yuna closed her eyes with a small sigh. "But that is enough." She clapped her hands together and beamed. "Come downstairs! You 'ave been sleeping all morning!"

Was it really that late?

The door was open slightly. Misella swore she smelt sweet, heavenly sizzling meat wafting through the gap. Her stomach gave a loud gurgle, making Yuna burst out laughing.

"You must be hungry, non?" She slapped her hands gently against the bed and pushed herself onto her feet with a twirl, geta slapping against the floorboards. She swung her arms behind her back with a mischievous grin. "Nous allons!"

Misella may not have understood what Yuna was saying, exactly, but for all of her easy lies and viper tongue, she was surprisingly honest and easy to understand. Misella gave her a slight smile, still feeling somewhat jittery, and fastened the brightblaze bloom into her hair before standing.

Yuna's cheerful humming led the way downstairs as she descended the steps two at a time.

"Salut!" she called as she skipped down to the bottom and across the main floor. "Ze petite mademoiselle is awake!"

As she was much slower taking the stairs, her shoes ghosting each step as she gripped the wooden railing, Misella didn't see who Yuna was talking to. When she reached the end, though, she saw exactly who: Vicious was sprawled on top of the inn's kitchen counter next to the oven, while Aegis had an adorable apron on, flushing almost as red as the sofa chair he was sitting on. He had his face covered with his hand and refused to look up, but Vicious gave her a wink and shot a fingergun at her.

"Yo."

"Be quiet."

"As harsh as ever, huh..?"

"Kanata should almost be back, non?" Yuna asked. Misella perked up at the mention of his name.

Vicious waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah."

Aegis spluttered something, then, and Yuna said something mockingly, but all sensations had dimmed and faded as Misella found herself obeying her stomach and drifting closer towards the oven. That scent of meat… delicious, _cooked_ meat… she'd never had meat at the orphanage. It was a sign that she was no longer in that hellhole, and she would take every sign she could find.

"Oi!" Vicious jumped off the counter and clamped a hand on her shoulder. "Not yet—"

Misella snapped her hand up and twisted his wrist without blinking.

"OW OW _OUCH!"_

"Hmph."

A scrape of a chair; Misella saw Aegis's shadow dart in front of her. "We need to wait for Kanata!" he cried from behind.

"Very well." Misella let go of Vicious's freezing hand, ignoring his whimpers as she sat down on the chair next to Aegis. "I would wait a thousand nights for Kanata."

"Wouldn't you starve to death before then..?" Aegis wondered.

"I can eat your flesh."

"I'm sorry _— what!?"_

She really couldn't understand why Aegis was so upset. She gazed around the kitchen and noticed how empty it was. Not even an innkeeper or maid in sight. "How did you get access to the kitchen?"

"I would like to say in an honest and just fashion, but…" Aegis raised his head to glare at Vicious. _"Alas."_

"Did Vicious threaten people again."

Vicious thrust his arm out. "Hey, I only threatened the innkeeper today! _And_ I told 'em that they could have it back by the end of today!"

"Very noble," Misella murmured. "Perhaps you are not as irredeemably vile as I thought."

"Me? _Redeemable?_ ” He barked out a harsh-sounding laugh. “Sweetheart, you've got far too much faith in me."

"Hmph."

"You still threatened someone!" Aegis cried. "You held a gun to their head and said you'd splatter their brains over the cooker before frying them! Am I the _only_ person who sees an issue with this!?"

A beat of silence.

"Oui."

"Yep."

"Yes."

_"WHY!?"_

In that blessed moment, the inn door slammed open. Misella would recognise that slap anywhere, even without the stomping footsteps that accompanied it.

"I'm back!" Kanata cried, panting and sounding out of breath. He straightened up from where he had been doubled over with a grin. He wiggled a small bag in his hand. "Oh — hi, Misella! Sorry I'm so late!"

She hadn't a clue as to what he was apologising for, but even if Kanata had committed sins so severe that they made the Great Transgressor look like a saint, she wouldn't have accepted it. Kanata was someone you could trust unreservedly. He _always_ had a reason for everything he did, and more often than not, it was out of the own goodness of his heart. It was something Misella always struggled with — helping people and doing things solely considered 'for the greater good', and she wasn't sure if she'd ever fully understand it.

So she just smiled and tipped her head. "Welcome back, Kanata."

He wiped his nose with a grin.

"At least use a tissue, you'll get snot everywhere," Aegis grumbled. He shot up onto his feet and pulled out a handkerchief from one of his many coat pockets, thrusting it into Kanata's hand.

"If it's Kanata's snot," Misella declared, "then it'll be germ-free and not at all dirty."

"Snot does _not_ work like that," Vicious muttered.

Kanata threw his arms up and almost sent the bag flying, his other hand planting the handkerchief to his nose. "Why are we talking about my snot!? On Misella's birthday!"

Misella froze.

"On my…" Her voice was weak. "...birthday?"

Most years, she forgot that it was even a thing. Every single year had been the same, and it wasn’t as though anyone cared enough to celebrate it. It just hadn’t felt significant compared to making the younger orphans comfortable, and although Kanata, bless him, often promised to celebrate it, he tended to forget or end up busy for the day. The number of her birthdays that they had gotten together could be counted on one hand with leftover fingers.

But he must have remembered, and he must have told everyone else about it. They didn’t look surprised; when she eventually lifted her gaze to each of them, they were all looking right back at her with an emotion she’d so rarely seen aimed at her. It wasn’t pity. It wasn’t condolence.

It was empathy. _Kindness._

She had to squeeze her eyes shut to block out the sudden stinging. When she did, it only magnified the mouthwatering scent of the cooking meat.

“We debated makin’ a cake, _buuuuuut... “_ Vicious shrugged. “Quickly realised that, uh, none of us really were experts at it.”

“And since you enjoy meat so much... well.” There was a slight smile on Aegis’s face. Misella never had an older brother, but looking at Aegis in that moment, his smile was so fraternal that it made her stagger. “We concluded that you would probably enjoy that more than a failed attempt at cake making.”

Yuna clapped her hands together. “It should almost be fini, non?” She darted over to the cooker, messing about with the pan. “Get the candle ready!”

“Candle?” Misella asked.

Kanata dropped the bag onto the chair Misella had been sitting on and pulled out a small stick of wax with a little wick at the tip. He held it in front of Misella. “Uh… sorry that we have to ask you to light your own birthday cake, but…”

“For you, Kanata, I don’t mind.”

He frowned slightly. “This isn’t for me, though. It’s for _you.”_

Oh, he wouldn’t understand. Misella just smiled and lifted a finger to the wick. She’d gotten the hang of her strange powers relatively quickly; it took not even a second for a flame to catch.

Kanata gave that toothy grin of his, the one that showed off all three of his missing teeth, before turning and running towards Yuna. Had Aegis not yelped and dodged out of the way on time, he would have been set alight. “W-watch where you’re going, Kanata!”

Vicious was too busy laughing.

“Ah… zis could be une petite problem…” Yuna murmured. “Ze bottom of the candle is souvent for _cakes,_ not… meat that ‘as been charred beyond almost all recognition.”

“W-well, it’s kind of on fire, so—”

“Ah. Not my problem.”

Yuna grinned at Kanata’s face of panic.

After a few seconds, he successfully shoved the candle into the meat. He was quite a bit off from the centre of it, but it was an endearing attempt nonetheless. With Yuna’s help, the slice of meat — and what a large slice it was! — slid onto a plate with a satisfying _thud._ She twirled around on her foot and skipped towards the rest of them.

“‘ere we are!” she cried. “Just for you!”

Misella couldn’t explain the slight tremor in her hands as she took the plate into them. She tried to make them still, but her body wouldn’t obey.

“Should we sing?” Vicious asked with a frown. “I have many talents and skills, _believe me,_ but singin’ ain’t one of them.”

“It’s always a virtue to readily admit your flaws,” Aegis said. “I, on the other hand, can.” He thumped his chest with his fist, grinning, and dread pooled in Misella’s chest as he opened his mouth:

“Happy biiiIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAAA—”

Yuna clamped her hands over his mouth. “Make a wish, quickly!”

“Mmmmph!!”

Vicious joined Yuna in planting his hands over Aegis’s mouth as he struggled. “Go for it, kid!”

She found a laugh escaping her at them. She glanced over to Kanata. He flashed her a warm smile, that beacon of hope that had kept her going for all of these long years, and closed her eyes.

_I want this happiness to last. Not just with Kanata. With all of them._

She leaned forward and blew out a large puff of air, opening her eyes and beaming.

_Click!_

"Ah!" Yuna cried. "Zis is a très charmant picture, non?" She pulled out a strange little piece of paper that had come out of the bottom of her enpicturator and held it up with a grin. "Look at you!"

It took Misella a few seconds to reconsolidate the person in the picture as _her._ That gentle smile; the shine in her eyes as she was looking down at the plate; how, for once, the bags under her eyes and her pallid skin didn't seem noticeable at all…

She had to swallow down the sudden lump in her throat and look up to blink away tears.

"Misella..?" drifted Kanata's worried voice. "Are you..?"

"She's fine, kid," Vicious said, sounding softer than she'd ever heard him before. "Just fine."

"I-is the cake okay?" Aegis stammered. "I know it's more 'we stuck a candle onto a slab of meat' and less of an actual cake, but…"

"That's _exactly_ what it is."

"It's—" She couldn't stop her sniffle. She had to put the plate on the side nearby to dig her knuckles into her eyes. "It's… it's perfect. Thank you."

Yuna clapped her hands together with a gleeful chortle. "Zee!? You worry too much, Aegrouch!"

"Can you _please_ stop calling me that!?"

"What about a picture of all of us?" Kanata asked. When everyone fell silent and looked at him, he flushed a bright red, but still continued. "I mean… it's the first birthday we've celebrated together. I think it'd be nice!"

"'First?'" Vicious drawled, looking distraught. "Why are ya implyin' that we're gonna be celebrating a whole lot more? You kids are _exhausting!"_

Aegis smirked. "I recall _you_ being the person so insistent on celebrating Misella's day of birth."

"Ack! Well…" Vicious rested a hand on his forehead and looked up with a grunt. It was almost fascinating to watch how quickly his entire body could blush, from the top of his messy head to the bottom of his Blood Sin-stained stomach. Misella hadn't even known it was capable for anyone to blush that much. "S-shuddup. Even if we're all evil transgressors who shouldn't live and blah-blah-blah _,_ we're still _human._ Gotta celebrate the little things, right?"

His words were… almost touching. Misella found a part of her heart warming that usually only Kanata's smile could thaw.

Yuna grinned behind her hand. "You say zat as if you aren't looking for any excuse to drink."

As Vicious threw his head back laughing, Misella had to resist the twitch in her hand to slap him.

"We are not drinking around _children!"_ Aegis exploded.

For a second, nobody spoke. Then:

"Are you not underage zas well?"

"YOU'RE YOUNGER THAN ME!"

"Am I the _only_ person old enough to drink!?"

"Guys!" Kanata cried. "What about the picture!?"

"Ah, oui, oui, d'accord!" Yuna turned her enpicturator around before holding it up high. "I am not ze best with angles, but… get in around moi, everyone! The mademoiselle front and centre, of course!"

Misella started. "Huh..?"

But then there was Yuna's hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her to a spot to stand. Her hand was warm and her fingers didn't grip her like a claw. If she wanted to, Misella could easily pull herself away.

She didn't.

Kanata stood on her right, Yuna on her left. Aegis and Vicious stood behind them and on either side of Misella.

"Ah — there we go, parfait." Yuna let go of Misella’s shoulder. She stuck out two fingers and gave a wink. "Vicious, you may 'ave to crouch a little."

"Why do you wear heels when you're already so _tall?"_ Aegis asked. He was giving the enpicturator a strained smile more fitting of a man about to be hung than posing for a picture.

"Hey, I have good legs! Course I'm gonna show 'em off!" Vicious smirked. "What, ya jealous? You wear heels too!"

"I—" Aegis's face immediately brightened to a shade so red that a ripe tomato would have been envious of him. _"Excuse me!?"_ he squeaked. "The audacity of even implying that I am — that I am JEALOUS of your—"

"Everyone say 'fromage!'" Yuna interrupted cheerfully.

"What's a fromage?" Kanata asked.

Misella shrugged.

The enpicturator made a little whirling noise before the tip of it gave a bright flash of light. Misella squinted and had to rapidly blink to rub away the searing splotch of white in her vision.

"'ere!" Yuna thrust out the picture at her. "A very… _unique_ picture if I do say so myself."

Misella took it from her hand and held it out. Everyone else huddled around her to look at it.

It certainly wasn't your typical picture of friends or family. Kanata's face was contorted in an adorable kind of confusion, shoulders slightly hunched. Aegis's burning red face was caught halfway between a squawk and a smile, while towards him, Vicious was making an impossibly smug face. It reminded Misella of the few cats that used to always mingle around the orphanage and would occasionally scratch furniture or break glass. When Misella attempted to tell them off, they just stared at her with what she _swore_ was a smile.

Yuna was the only person who looked like she was actually prepared for the photograph, her fingers in a peace sign as she grinned so widely that her eyes were shut.

As for Misella herself…

She had that strange look on her face again. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that this was _her._ Although she wasn't quite looking at the enpicturator, she had that same little smile from the last picture.

It was weird. She hadn't thought she could even smile like that, much less ever feel the kind of joy to even look like that.

"Not bad," Vicious whistled.

"It… could be worse," Aegis gritted out.

"I think it looks great!" came Kanata's gleeful voice.

“I love it,” Misella whispered.

She’d never had a family before. But, looking at the picture in her hands, maybe Misella had found one by complete and utter accident.

**Author's Note:**

> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/greenpiggles) ]
> 
> if you enjoyed, please consider leaving a kudos and/or comment, thank you so much!! have a wonderful day and best of luck with your rolls if you play the game~


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